About Jeffries Wyman

Born June 21, 1901 in West Newton, Massachusetts, Jeffries Wyman came from a long line of Boston bluebloods, with a great-grandfather and grandfather both deeply involved in Harvard's scientific and academic world. It made sense that Jeffries would follow in his family's footsteps, graduating with top marks in Philosophy and Biology. At Harvard, he met fellow scientist John T. Edsall, who became a friend and collaborator for the next 75 years. His passion for mathematics and physics led him to further his education in thermodynamics.

But beneath his Harvard-bred exterior was an inquisitive, complex mind, a passionate artist, and a distant, yet uniquely devoted father with a witty sense of humor. Throughout Jeffries' prolific career, his curiosity and vigor led him down many a nontraditional path, setting him apart from the academic world he grew up in.

Upon the death of his first wife in 1943, Wyman embarked on a series of global pilgrimages, from living with the Japanese and the Alaskan Eskimos, to positions as Scientific Attaché in the American Embassy in Paris and at UNESCO in Cairo, to 25 years as a university scientist in Rome. His scientific contributions can be found in the many publications he produced and the letters that he sent home. After his death in 1995, Anne set out to write this memoir, as well as publish his travel journals and letters, so others might come to know this extraordinary man—the intelligent, witty, conflicted and driven scientist determined to change the world—Jeffries Wyman, her father.